The restaurant that took the place of Chef’s Table on Washington Street, yet hasn’t really managed to take off (in spite of the good food), is undergoing a top-secret overhaul this weekend courtesy of an undisclosed television network.
According to their Facebook page, XIE, pronounced “shay”, will be closed on Sunday and Monday when a reality TV crew takes over the space for a complete remodel. A grand reopening event is scheduled for Tuesday at 5 p.m., featuring a mystery celebrity chef and free meals for the first 100 patrons through the door.
When reached for comment, XIE’s general manager said that he was unable to provide details due to a confidentiality agreement he and his staff signed with the network.
Food TV junkies, celebrity stalkers and the curious are invited to attend XIE’s reopening on Tuesday and be a part of the spectacle. There will be lights, there will be cameras and perhaps you will even be discovered as a new TV star due to your overlarge head, widely spaced eyes and witty on-camera banter. If nothing else, it’ll be a wild scene with some killer eats. Catch you there!
Full Facebook announcement from XIE:
The time has come for us at XIE Restaurant to share something with all of our friends, family, and acquaintances… something that is probably going to be life changing for our entire staff here at the restaurant. Our restaurant has been selected in a new reality television show that will feature us with everyone that plays a role in the ever day production of making this restaurant successful!!! Its been really hard to keep this kind of secret to ourselves, let alone to all of our friends, family, etc. It has been a lot of hard work, dedication, and discipline to get to where we are today and would like to share this experience with everyone that has helped us in some way accomplish these goals. The filming production will start sometime this weekend and will finish up with a grand opening on Tuesday, August 27th, starting at 5PM!!!!…. We will be closed for Sunday and Monday (August 25th and 26th). On grand opening day, we will reopen our doors at 5PM to everyone and the first 100 people will receive a FREE MEAL thanks to the production team and the celebrity chef, who’s name we cannot reveal!! We are also unable to discuss which network this is, but we can guarantee you that it will generate a TON of excitement, enthusiasm, and even some shocking faces! This is truly a once in a lifetime experience and to be featured on not only a national stage but a global network, it’s crazy to believe that this is actually happening here in Iowa City, Iowa!!!! SO, to everyone out there, if you want to be filmed and be aired on national television and also receive a FREE MEAL, then make sure you’re here!!
